AN Australian Rules star received a four-match suspension on Thursday for using a homophobic slur against an opponent during a match.
Adelaide’s Izak Rankine admitted the offence committed during his team’s three-point victory over Collingwood last weekend.
The sport’s governing body described the language used as “offensive, hurtful and highly inappropriate”.
Australian Football League general counsel Stephen Meade stated that both the player and club acknowledged the behaviour was unacceptable.
“In an AFL environment, this behaviour is not acceptable. Homophobia has no place in football,“ Meade said.
Rankine expressed deep regret and confirmed he had personally apologised to the affected player.
“I’m committed to educating myself and being better,“ he added.
This incident marks the sixth suspension for homophobic slurs in Australian Rules football over the past sixteen months.
Previous bans for similar offences have ranged from three to six matches depending on the severity of each case.
Meade acknowledged the particular impact such incidents have on the LGBTQI+ community and their allies.
“One incident of this nature is too many, and the fact there have been multiple this year shows we still have more work to do and we are committed to that,“ he said.
Australian Rules football remains the country’s most popular spectator sport despite ongoing controversies surrounding player conduct.
The sport has previously faced criticism over racism allegations involving Indigenous players alongside these recent homophobia cases. – AFP